Abundant copper and timber brought people to and from the island of Cyprus during the Late Bronze Age (1650-1050 BCE). But over time, the distinctive hand-coiled, milky white terracotta pottery created by Cypriot artists also became a highly desired commodity. Archaeologists first excavated examples of such wares on Cyprus during the mid-19th century, but more recent finds of large quantities of these vessels in archeological sites and shipwrecks across the Mediterranean show how popular they were in many parts of the ancient world.